


Cadence

by alazic02



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, F/M, Prompt Based, University AU, everyones soft, gratuitous addressing of others by their last name, literally just fluffy goodness, ninos a pile of goo, wingman adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 21:09:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14065626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alazic02/pseuds/alazic02
Summary: Lit class is boring but it's better when your crush is there too.Talking to them gets easier when you accidentally chain your bike to theirs.





	Cadence

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the first prompt in [this list](http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/164772263549/aus-id-love-to-see).
> 
> DJWifi's been The Mood lately so I finally cleaned up this fic I scribbled like last September. Hope you enjoy!

“C’mon dude, I'm hungry!” Adrien called over his shoulder, already several paces ahead of Nino who was struggling to fit his textbook into his messenger bag.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’!” Nino shouted back, hurrying to catch up with his best friend.

 

Literature class had just let out and the two were following the stream of students leaving the classroom unit. They were headed towards the bike racks to collect their rides before going to their usual Tuesday lunch stop, a corner sandwich shop on the far side of campus.

 

“Ugh, that class is always so boring,” Adrien lamented. He let his head fall back and spoke up to the sky. “Mr. H has the most monotonous voice. I bet he couldn’t even make _murder_ engaging.”

 

“I don’t know, I find it fascinating. There are so many ways text can be interpreted, it’s pretty cool.”

 

“To each their own, I guess. I was never much of a language person though, so maybe it’s more interesting to you. I like patterns better, things that have a logical solution. Mathematical equations and coding and stuff,” Adrien said, still staring up at the clouds. “I’m glad I took this class anyway though. I get to hang out with you _and_ get the GE out of the way!”

 

He turned to grin at Nino, who was flipping through the novel they were studying, only half listening to what Adrien was saying. Adrien paused, furrowing his brow slightly. “Dude, can you hear me?” he asked, hunching over a bit to peer over Nino’s shoulder.

 

“Uh-huh…” Nino replied, still engrossed in the pages. “I’m just skimming ahead in the reading, see if I can spot anything that I can connect to today’s lecture.”

 

“Oh man, I don’t even remember what we discussed today. I can never find focus on what he’s saying. I can take pages and pages of notes for my physics classes but this one? Nada.” Adrien left Nino to his pursuing, turning back to the path that led to the bikes and thinking about whether or not he wanted avocado on his sandwich.

 

Their slow pace had let their fellow classmates pass them by, leaving the two boys to themselves. In the middle of his daydreaming, however, Adrien stopped walking in realization. Nino, continuing to thumb through the book, didn’t notice and carried on.

 

“Wait a second,” Adrien said, raising his voice so that Nino could still hear him. “You’ve never read ahead before and we’re like halfway through the quarter. There’s no _way_ you’ve suddenly found Mr. H’s lectures more interesting because he’s only gotten more boring. But I know what you _do_ find interesting!”

 

Nino stopped dead, adjusting his glasses as he turned to look back at Adrien, who was now standing a few paces behind him, arms crossed and grinning from ear to ear.

 

He scoffed. “Dude, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Prose has just started speaking to me –”

 

“You’re interested in that class because _Alya’s_ in it!” Adrien cried, whipping his arm around and pointing at Nino as if he had caught him red-handed.

 

Nino could feel his face heat up as he slammed the book shut and clutched it to his chest. "Adrien!" he hissed, rushing over and clapping his hand over his friend's mouth. "I told you that was a secret! Don't go shouting it across campus!"

 

Adrien just pushed Nino's hand away and laughed, throwing his arm around Nino's shoulders and pulling him along towards where their bikes were locked. "Nino, it’s fine. Have some confidence! Try sitting closer to her next class, I'm sure she's bound to notice you _some_ day."

 

Nino was still flushed as he pulled himself free from Adrien's arm, muttering under his breath about assigned seats and trying to smooth the rumpled pages of the novel he had crushed. As he fixed his glasses again and tried to cool his face down, he didn't notice Adrien slow ahead of him until he bumped into his back.

 

"Whoa, dude, people are walking here, why are you stopping?"

 

"Uh, Nino? I don't wanna shock you again but uh... isn't that Alya right over there?"

 

Nino's head shot up, wide eyes following Adrien’s pointed index finger, searching for the bunch of curly, ombré hair that he knew so well. There she was, sitting on a bench by the bike rack, curls pulled away from her face in a ponytail and a laptop on her knees. Her fingers were flying quickly and efficiently across the keyboard.

 

Nino loved her fingers. Slender but strong, and always with perfectly-kept nails. Sometimes she wore a ring or two, simple gold bands that glowed against the warmth of her skin.

 

"Shit!" Nino whispered, hiding behind Adrien. "What's she doing here?"

 

"I don't know! But this is great, now you can talk to her!"

 

"Talk to her?! I can't just _talk_ to her! I've only spoken to her like four times. Ever!"

 

"Well, this can be your fif–!”

 

"Oh, it was _your_ bike!" Adrien and Nino jumped, looking up as Alya's voice cut through their hushed conversation.

 

"I— what?" Adrien said. "Dude, get up here!" he whispered. He pulled Nino from behind him and pushed him forward.

 

"This blue and red one here, yeah? It's chained to mine. I noticed you were running late to class earlier, Lahiffe." Alya snapped her laptop shut, tucking it into her bag as she stood.

 

"I— oh shit—! I'm sorry, I’ll unlock it right away, sorry," Nino said hurriedly, trying not to trip over himself as he stuffed his book under his arm and headed towards his bike. How could he have been so careless? He had overslept that morning, hitting snooze upwards of four times on his alarm before finally bolting out of bed when Adrien called him.

 

After a rushed breakfast of orange juice and half a slice of toast, Nino had pedaled the fastest he had ever pedaled in his life from his dorm to their class’ building, arriving with three minutes to spare. He guessed that in his rush to be on time, he had wrapped his bike lock to the neighboring bike instead of the rack.

 

_Stupid, stupid!_ he thought to himself as he fumbled with the combination. _Just my luck that it was Alya Césaire’s bike instead of someone less punctual._ His sweaty palms slickened his fingers, making spinning those stupid tiny dials even more difficult than usual. _Note to self: get a bike lock with a key next time._

 

“No rush, really, but I did want to get to the library before my next class.” Alya’s voice drifted into Nino’s ears. It was just as musical and lovely as during class when she pointed out the flaws in whatever body of text they were studying. _I could listen to her all day_ , Nino sighed, feeling his cheeks warm again.

 

“It’s a shame I forgot to bring my lock picking supplies with me today, though. Probably one of the few times they would have come in handy all year, and I leave them on my night stand,” Alya said offhandedly to Adrien. She pulled her bag over her shoulders and tugged her hair free from its ponytail. Nino scrolled past the four again by accident as her soft curls fell to frame her face.

 

“Um, I’m sorry did I hear that right? Locking picking supplies?” Adrien asked, looking confused.

 

“Yeah. Lock picking supplies. You’ve always gotta be prepared, Agreste.” She wagged her finger at him. “Never know when you need to break into a room to get the scoop! Or, you know. Get your bike to go to the library.” She smiled cheekily.

 

“Oh-ho, I see! You’re quite the smart one, Césaire. Nino and I could learn a lot from spending more time around you,” Adrien said, catching on. He grinned and looked pointedly at Nino, doing his best to cue him to jump in.

 

“Th-there’s no actual _lock_ lock on my bike thing! It’s a combination not a key s-so a– a lock picking kit wouldn’t… wouldn’t be that helpful…” Nino offered, voice fading as he heard the words leaving his mouth. He felt the rush of heat travel from his cheeks down his neck. _Good one Lahiffe. Real good. Scoring lots of points today._

 

“Oh, I— I was just kidding! I don’t actually have any experience picking locks,” Alya laughed awkwardly, waving her hands about wildly. “It’s just that, if I _did_ , I could probably have gotten my bike sooner! And been on my way! But, like you said, it wouldn’t have worked anyway so… um…”

 

As she trailed off, Adrien quietly excused himself and made his way to his own bike, locked a few rows over, leaving the two in an awkward silence.

 

It finally broke as Nino managed to input the last number in his combination and untangle the cord from the two bikes it was wrapped around.

 

“Again, I’m so sorry about this. I’ll try and be more awake next time,” Nino said, straightening up and pulling his bike away to give Alya room to reach her own lock.

 

“Ah, it’s no biggie,” she said, leaning over to smoothly turn the dial on the padlock. She slid the cord through her bike’s frame before expertly wrapping it up and locking it again. “I have a couple free hours before my next class anyway. Just because I prefer working in the library doesn’t mean I mind spending a few more minutes outside.” She smiled as she tucked her bike lock into an outer pocket on her bag. Nino wished she would never stop smiling.

 

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Nino said, glancing over to where Adrien was and absentmindedly putting his lock and book into his bag. Adrien was already heading back towards where Nino and Alya were standing, pushing his black and green bike beside him.

 

The three of them headed back to the path from where they’d come, ready to go their separate ways.

 

“Well, I forgot but uh, I actually have a class really soon, so, Nino, I will catch you later,” Adrien said suddenly.

 

“W-wait what? Hold on, you don’t have a class soo—”

 

“YES, yes I do!” Adrien interrupted, already turning towards the center of campus. He hopped onto one pedal and pushed off the ground with his other foot to gain momentum. “See you later, Nino, Alya!” he shouted to them as he swung his leg over the seat and started pedaling.

 

“Wait, Adrien, what about lunch?!” Nino yelled after him. Adrien just waved goodbye without turning around. “I thought you were hungry…” Nino said under his breath.

 

“That was weird,” Alya said, causing Nino to jump. _Dammit, Adrien, you fucking did this on purpose, didn’t you!_ He was going to kill him later.

 

“Well, I guess I’ll be going then. See you around, Lahiffe?” She turned to face him, the ends of her lips turning up in a small smile.

 

“Oh, uh, yeah!”

 

As Alya started off in the opposite direction, Nino suddenly grabbed her handlebars. She stopped and turned back to him, raising her eyebrows.

 

“Yes? Did you forget something?” She said, confusion in her tone.

 

“Um, actually, Alya, I uh…” _Keep it together, Lahiffe, you can do this._ He swallowed.

 

“I was wondering if you could help me out sometimes with the lit homework? A lot of the time I can understand what the professor is talking about but other times I’m completely lost and I know you’re like top of the class so if you were ever free sometime to help me if I have questions I would really appreciate it,” Nino said in a rush. His cheeks had cooled a little but now he could feel the burning in his ears. He hoped it wasn’t too noticeable.

 

“Oh! Uh, yeah, sure!” She sounded surprised but there was warmth laced in her voice. “I have my internship during weekdays but I have most of the weekends to myself. If you have questions feel free to give me a call,” she grinned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

 

“I… I don’t actually have your… number,” Nino said, nervously running his thumb up and down his bag strap and looking off to the side.

 

“Oh, really? I thought you did for some reason. Well, anyway, hold on a sec.” Alya flipped her bag around and fished in the front pocket before pulling out a small notepad and pen. She scribbled her number down and tore off the page, handing it to Nino. “Text me whenever! I try to respond as soon as I can.”

 

She finished putting her supplies away and swung her bag over her shoulders again. “Well, if that’s all you wanted to ask then I’m gonna get going.” She turned to leave once more, slower this time, perhaps in case Nino was going to stop her again. He didn’t.

 

Instead he stared down at the slightly crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He’d done it. Finally. Somehow, he had gotten her number. His eyes moved back to her retreating figure. She had already gone several meters, still walking her bike.

 

In a sudden burst of energy, Nino whipped out his cell phone and feverishly punched out the numbers scrawled on the paper before hitting the call button. His gaze didn’t leave her back as she paused, patting her pockets to find her ringing cell.

 

She stared at the unknown number on the screen for a second before picking up. “Hello? Is this you, Lahiffe?”

 

“Um, yeah, yeah it’s me, Nino, hi!”

 

“Hey, what’s up? Didn’t we just say goodbye?” He could hear the smile in her voice, the one that was small and warm and that he loved.

 

“Yeah we did but, uh, I wanted to know— w-would you happen to be free tonight to study like over dinner or something I don’t know you said you were busy on weekdays but technically it would be a week _night_ so um— ” His cheeks were hot, hot, hot, spreading all the way through his ears and his neck and for certain turning him redder than the hat he wore during collège.

 

Nino stopped talking, his breath catching in his throat as he waited for her reply. Instead of saying anything, Alya half turned around, looking back at him with his beet-red face and tightly-fisted hand that had crushed the paper with her number on it.

 

The silence stretched on, making the distance between them stretch longer and longer. Without saying another word, Alya turned away and hung up the phone.

 

Nino breathed in. _Well, that’s her answer, I guess._ He felt strangely calm as he slowly lowered the phone from his ear and brushed the ‘Call Ended’ screen with his thumb. His eyes still had not left Alya’s back, now motionless. He felt his brows crease, pinching together as if trying to meet in the middle of his forehead.

 

_That was… less painful than I thought it would be. Probably. It might be the shock though._

 

Alya began to move. Nino watched as she placed her phone back into her pocket. She held her bike up and pushed the kickstand down. Slowly, slowly, slowly she turned around to face him, head down, curls falling over her face and hiding her eyes from view.

 

Nino was confused. Hadn’t she responded already? With “no”? That’s why she’d hung up, right? So why was she looking up at him now, brows furrowed slightly? Why was she wearing her realization face, the one that she got when a difficult passage in class started to make itself clear? When all the pieces came together and meaning could be formed from the words on the page.

 

He knew it well. He saw it so often because he was always looking at her, at her bright eyes and brilliant smile. He always wanted to see her smile, at him, at his jokes, at small things and big things and everything in between.

 

But she wasn’t smiling now. Her mouth was scrunched up to the side of her face, accentuating the dimple pressed into her cheek. The two just stared at each other, call ended, bikes still.

 

Finally, Alya began to move again. She raised her arms up and cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. Nino couldn’t breathe.

 

Alya inhaled deeply and closed the distance between them with an echoing “YES!”

 

As she brought her hands down from her face Nino, could just make out the light flush to her cheeks. She quickly turned away and jumped onto her bike, pedaling away towards the school library without waiting for a response.

 

Nino felt his lungs come to life as he watched her flaming ombré curls disappear from view.

 

Slowly, he smoothed out the paper in his fist, running his thumbs across the numbers written on it.

 

_That worked out differently than I’d thought it would._

 

Still in a daze, Nino turned around and began walking his bike in the direction that Adrien had gone. He was so preoccupied with processing what happened that he didn’t bother trying to cool his face or calm his pounding heart.

 

All he knew was that he didn’t really care if anyone noticed that he was colored red, red, red as her hair.


End file.
